News from around the nation

GIRL'S MOTHER PRAISES BOY'S KISSING SUSPENSION: CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) — The mother of a girl involved in the case of a 6-year-old Colorado boy who was suspended for giving a classmate unwanted kisses says the school did the right thing.

The girl's mother, Jade Masters-Ownbey, told the Canon City Daily Record on Wednesday that the school district did a "great job" protecting her daughter from repeated harassment from the boy.

First-grader Hunter Yelton was given a two-day suspension, with a sexual harassment infraction on his discipline record. The boy's mother said the "sexual harassment" mark was too harsh.

But Masters-Ownbey says the kissing was "not once, but over and over." School officials insist the boy was repeatedly warned and that the punishment was warranted.

The annual Geminids (JEM'-i-nids) meteor shower — the most intense of the year — will peak Friday night. But the best viewing may be early Saturday, once the moon sets. Between 100 and 120 meteors are expected every hour at peak time. But scientists say the bright moon will interfere and reduce the number of visible meteors by half. That's why the best shot for viewing will be closer to dawn on Saturday.

The Geminids come from a small asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, which passes quite close to the sun. Its trail of dust and debris is what makes up the Geminids. Earth passes through this stream of debris every December.

The meteor shower extends from Thursday through Monday.

CHRISTIAN RADIO HOST DOBSON SUES OVER HEALTH CARE: DENVER (AP) — Nationally syndicated Christian radio broadcaster James Dobson is suing the federal government over a requirement in the Affordable Care Act that his ministry must include the morning-after pill and other emergency contraception in its health insurance.

Dobson's lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Denver federal court, says the requirement violates the religious beliefs of his Colorado Springs-based ministry, called Family Talk.

Dobson is founder and president of Family Talk, which has a radio show, newsletter and website. The lawsuit says the ministry has 28 full-time employees, and its insurance covers 60 people, including employees' family members.